Core Self-evaluations as Mediator and Moderator of the Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Life Satisfaction

Using data from the European Social Survey, we examine the overall life satisfaction of individuals, focusing on the influence of belonging to an ethnic minority group. Building on the existing literature, we control for immigrant and citizenship statuses and discrimination perceptions as well as several commonly-used socio-demographic variables. Through the use of interaction terms in an ordered probit model, we demonstrate that the magnitude of the negative impact of discrimination perceptions depends on the type of discrimination as well as minority membership status. Similarly, we find that first and second generation immigrants differ in their levels of life satisfaction and also according to whether they consider themselves as an ethnic minority member. Citizenship status turns out to be of secondary relevance since it is found to be a significant factor only in models that exclude the immigration variables. In the presence of the aforementioned control variables, ethnic minority membership is also found not to have a universal stand-alone effect on life satisfaction, but only for individuals with certain attributes as indicated by the interaction terms in the empirical model.     

Self-Esteem as Mediator and Moderator of the Relationship Between Social Support and Subjective Well-Being Among Chinese University Students

This study examined both the mediating and moderating effects of global self-esteem on the relationship between social support and subjective well-being among Chinese university students. Three hundred and ninety-one university students (260 males and 131 females) from two different Chinese universities completed the social support scale, the self-esteem scale and the subjective well-being scale. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that global self-esteem partially mediated the influence of social support on life satisfaction and positive affect, whereas it fully mediated the influence of social support on negative affect. Moreover, global self-esteem moderated the relationship between social support and life satisfaction, and positive affect, but not negative affect. When students reported a high level of global self-esteem, those with high social support reported higher scores in life satisfaction and positive affect than those with low social support. However, there were no differences in life satisfaction or positive affect between groups with high and low social support when global self-esteem was low. The significance and limitations of the results are discussed.     

Culture as a Moderator of Overall Life Satisfaction – Life Facet Satisfaction Relationships

The purposes of this study were to (a) provide additional competitive tests between three models of relationships between overall and life facet satisfaction [Bottom-Up (BU), Top-Down (TD), and Bidirectional (BD) models], and (b) explore whether culture moderates these relationships. Models were tested using data collected as part of Michalos' (1991) global study of student well-being from samples of college students in 32 different countries. The BD model received strongest support in 29 of the 32 samples (countries); the TD model was most strongly supported in the remaining 3 samples. Cluster analyses of samples in which the BD model was supported indicated a 7-cluster solution of reasonably homogeneous sets of OLS-LFS relationships. However, clusters were not easily interpretable in terms of evident cultural commonalities. We conclude that (a) a BD model describes OLS-LFS relationships globally, (b) and although culture appears to moderate OLS-LFS relationships, (c) additional research is needed to explain why.     

Psychometric Properties of the Satisfaction with Life Scale among Turkish University Students,Correctional Officers,and Elderly Adults

This study aims to extensively examine the psychometric properties of adapted version of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) in different Turkish samples. In order to test the psychometric properties of the SWLS three separate and independent samples are utilized in this study, namely university students (n = 547), correctional officers (n = 166), and elderly adults (n = 123). Concerning the reliability of the scale, internal consistency and item-total correlation coefficients are found to be satisfactory for all three samples. As for the validity studies, concurrent validity of the scale is supported in all three samples by revealing the association of SWLS with conceptually related measures, which included depression, self-esteem, positive affect and negative affect, work stress, and monthly income measures. Discriminant validity is examined only in the sample of university students, and SWLS revealed a non-significant correlation with a conceptually unrelated construct (i.e., willingness to self-censor). Consistent with the original scale, a single-factor solution model reveals an adequate fit in all three different samples. Furthermore, confirmatory factor analysis with multi-group comparisons performed demonstrates that SWLS has the same theoretical structure for three different groups on the basis of a single-factor solution model. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.     

Examining Mediator Role of the Social Safeness on the Relationship Between Vengeance and Life Satisfaction

The aim of the present study is to examine the mediating role of social safeness on the relationship between vengeance and life satisfaction. Participants were 305 university students who completed a questionnaire package which includes the Vengeance Scale, the Social Safeness and Pleasure Scale, and the Life Satisfaction Scale. According to the results, social safeness and life satisfaction were predicted negatively by vengeance. On the other hand, life satisfaction was predicted positively by social safeness. In addition, social safeness mediated the relationship between vengeance and life satisfaction. Together, the findings illuminate the social processes underlying the association of vengeance with life satisfaction.     

Moderating Effects of Gender and Loneliness on the Relationship Between Self-esteem and Life Satisfaction in Chinese University Students

This study examined both the moderator effects of loneliness and gender on the relationship between self-esteem and life satisfaction in Chinese university students. 615 college students completed the measures of loneliness, self-esteem and life satisfaction. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that loneliness moderated the association between self-esteem and life satisfaction. When students reported a low level of loneliness, those with high self-esteem reported higher scores in life satisfaction than those with low self-esteem. However, the high and low self-esteem group had low level of life satisfaction when loneliness was high. Moreover, gender also moderated the link between self-esteem and life satisfaction. Self-esteem tended to be a more significant determinant of life satisfaction in the females than the males. The significance and limitations of the results are discussed.     

The Association Between School Stress,Life Satisfaction and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents: Life Satisfaction as a Potential Mediator

The aim of the present study was to investigate the interrelationships between school-related stress (school performance, teacher interaction), life satisfaction, and depressive symptoms, as well as the potential mediating role of life satisfaction on the association between school-related stress and depressive symptoms. A total of 1,239 adolescents (13–18 years of age) from public elementary and secondary schools in mid-Norway participated in the school-based survey. The data were analysed using structural equations modelling. The present study showed that stress of school performance was significantly and positively related to depressive symptoms and significantly and inversely related to life satisfaction. At the bivariate levels, stress of teacher interaction was associated with more depressive symptoms and reduced life satisfaction. However, these associations were non-significant in the multivariate analyses, controlled for stress of school performance. A significant inverse association was found between life satisfaction and depressive symptoms. Further, life satisfaction partly mediated the association between stress of school performance and depressive symptoms. The results reflect the complexity of the interaction between adolescents’ experience of school performance stress and mental health, and the role of life satisfaction as a potentially relevant mediator of this association.     

Gender as a Moderator of the Relation Among Social Support Functions and Life Satisfaction in Older Malaysians

The aim of this study was to examine the moderating role of gender on relations among social support functions and life satisfaction in older Malaysians. The study sample was 1,800 older residents in a community; all were at least 60 years old. This study was a cross-sectional and corelational survey, and the data were collected by multistage stratified sampling. This study revealed that fewer social support functions, and therefore less life satisfaction, were available for females than for males. The results of moderated regression analyses demonstrated that gender interacted only on the relationship between positive social interaction support and tangible support with life satisfaction. Specifically, at a high tangible support level, females had lower life satisfaction when compared to a low tangible support level. There may be a need for new programs and services to provide other aspects of social support to older female adults to improve and maintain life satisfaction in later life.     

The Impacts of Individualism/Collectivism, Self-Esteem, and Feeling of Mastery on Life Satisfaction among the Turkish University Students and Academicians

This study had two goals. The first one was todetermine whether the predictors ofindividualism/collectivism, self-esteem, andfeeling of mastery in a specific socio-culturalenvironment in which individuals from differentcultural backgrounds interact with each otherexplain life satisfaction. The second goal wasto illuminate the contradiction between crosscultural and local findings about ongoingTurkish cultural experience within the relatedvariables and the frame of the socio culturalenvironment. Research participants numbered696, 388 students and 308 academicians ofMersin University. Students were enrolled inthe Faculty of Art and Science, the Faculty ofEngineering and the Faculty of AdministrativeSciences and Economics. Fifty percent of themwere females and the fifty percent were males.The academic sample consisted of the academicpersonnel (instructors, assistants, lecturers,and professors) in the above-mentionedfaculties. The sample made up of academicianswas also half female and half male. Theparticipants responded to the Turkish versionof the short form of Individualism/CollectivismScale (INDCOL), the Rosenberg Self-EsteemScale, the Mastery Scale and the Satisfactionwith Life Scale. Among these scales, the shortform of INDCOL showed a high level of constructvalidity and the Mastery Scale showed amoderate level of construct validity in therelated samples. Others have showed high levelsof validities and reliabilities in the previousTurkish studies conducted. The findings of thisstudy revealed that individualism predictedhigh life satisfaction and collectivismpredicted low life satisfaction. Self-esteemand mastery also predicted high lifesatisfaction. It was observed in this studythat university life contributed to maleuniversity students being autonomous andindependent.     

Association Between Caregiving, Meaning in Life, and Life Satisfaction Beyond 50 in an Asian Sample: Age as a Moderator

The association between caregiving, meaning in life, and life satisfaction was examined in sample of 519 older Asian adults beyond 50?years of age. Two hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine age as moderator of the associations between caregiving, meaning in life, and life satisfaction. Age moderated the association between caregiving and life satisfaction; the association between caregiving and life satisfaction was statistically significant for the middle adulthood group but not for the late adulthood group. Age moderated the association between meaning in life and life satisfaction; the association between meaning in life and life satisfaction was statistically significant for both groups, but it was stronger in magnitude for the late adulthood group compared to the middle adulthood group. These findings highlight that there are certain key developmental tasks encountered by individuals at the middle and late adulthood stages, and that these distinctive relevant tasks at various developmental stages differentially predict individuals?? life satisfaction in an Asian sample.     

Validation of the Temporal Satisfaction with Life Scale in a Sample of Chinese University Students

The study aims at validating the Temporal Satisfaction With Life Scale (TSWLS; Pavot et al., 1998, `The Temporal Satisfaction With Life Scale', Journal of Personality Assessment 70, pp. 340–354) in a non-western context. Data from 646 Chinese university students (330 females and 316 males) supported the three-factor structure of the TSWLS. However, the first and fifth items in each subscale (past, present, and future) showed a series of problems. With these items excluded, the 9-item model provided a better fit to the data than the 15-item model while the factor structure remained almost unchanged. The author recommends that the 9-item TSWLS be used to measure temporal life satisfaction.     

Comparing the Level of Positive Tendency in a Life Satisfaction Evaluation between Chinese and Western People

We demonstrate that people from Chinese cultural backgrounds have a smaller positive tendency in life evaluation compared to people in typical Western cultures. Participants first described their imagined best and worst life and then rated their current life on scale anchored by those imaginings (Mellor et al. International Journal of Social Research Methodology Theory and Practice, 2, 263–278, 1999), with scores above 50 indicating the strength of positive tendency. We compare responses from 82 Taiwanese students to data from the 22 Australian students in Mellor et al.’s (International Journal of Social Research Methodology Theory and Practice, 2, 263–278, 1999) study. Results of independent t tests support the hypothesis that culturally Chinese subjects have a lower positive tendency (65.32%SM) than Australian participants (76.12%SM) in life satisfaction evaluation. Shih-jung Lee and Chia-huei Wu have made equal contributions to this study.     

Life Satisfaction Among University Students in a Canadian Prairie City: a Multivariate Analysis

This article reports the findings from a questionnaire survey of university students’ life satisfaction in Regina. The results demonstrated that a significant proportion of the 315 respondents were satisfied with their lives (N = 240, 76.2%). With regard to degree of satisfaction with different aspects of life, respondents expressed that they were most satisfied with relationship with mother, living environment, relationships with close friends, relationships with siblings, and living arrangement. Multiple ordinary least-squares regression analyses revealed that respondents who indicated a higher socio-economic status, achieveda higher grade point average, and were more satisfied with their academic experience, self-esteem, relationship with significant other, and living conditions, expressed a markedly higher level of satisfaction with life.     

Life Satisfaction as a Buffer of the Relationship Between Corruption Perception and Political Participation

The present article aimed at exploring the effect of corruption perception on political participation and the moderating role of life satisfaction on this relationship. To accomplish these objectives, we collected both survey and experimental data. In Study 1, corruption perception, life satisfaction, and political participation were all measured using self-report scales. The results indicated that corruption perception was negatively associated with political participation, and that life satisfaction moderated the relationship between corruption perception and political participation. In Study 2, corruption perception was manipulated by placing respondents in either a high-corruption or a low-corruption condition with subliminal priming. Compared with the high-corruption condition, the respondents primed by the low-corruption condition reported greater political participation. Furthermore, corruption perception hampered political participation only when life satisfaction was low. The results of the two studies confirmed that corruption perception attenuated political participation and that life satisfaction served as an appraisal buffer to alleviate this effect. The implications of the findings are discussed.     

The Role of Life Satisfaction in the Relationship between Authoritative Parenting Dimensions and Adolescent Problem Behavior

Research examining environmental factorsassociated with adolescents' life satisfaction(LS) has revealed that familial variables(e.g., parent-child conflict, familystructure) are crucial correlates. Thepurpose of the current study was to identifyparticular dimensions of authoritativeparenting (strictness-supervision, socialsupport/involvement, and psychological autonomygranting) that are related to LS during early,middle, and late adolescence, as well as toexplore the hypothesis that LS serves as amediator between authoritative parenting andadolescent internalizing and externalizingbehavior. A sample of 1201 middle and highschool students completed self-report measuresassessing these constructs. Results indicatedstatistically significant relationships betweeneach authoritative parenting dimension andadolescent LS. Although all three parentingdimensions were positively related to LS,perceived parental social support emerged asthe strongest correlate. Importantdevelopmental differences were revealed,including the finding that the associationbetween parenting behaviors and adolescents' LSchanged as children aged. Last, LS fullymediated the relationship between socialsupport and adolescent problem behavior andpartially mediated relationships between theremaining authoritative parenting dimensions(i.e., strictness-supervision, psychologicalautonomy granting) and maladaptive adolescentbehavior.     

The Mediator Roles of Life Satisfaction and Self-Esteem between the Affective Components of Psychological Well-Being and the Cognitive Symptoms of Problematic Internet Use

The factors associated with cognitions about problematic Internet use have been empirically tested in various studies. The aim of the present study was to examine the mediator roles of both life satisfaction and self-esteem between affective components of subjective well-being and cognitions about problematic Internet use. For this purpose, the model that was conceptualized by Davis (Comput Human Behav 17:187–195, 2001), Caplan (Comput Human Behav 18:553–575 2002), and Lent et al. (J Vocat Behav 74:190–198 2009) was modified and used as the theoretical framework for this study. The impacts of life satisfaction and self-esteem on the association between affective components of psychological well-being (positive and negative) and cognitions about problematic Internet use were tested by using structural equation modeling (SEM) in a sample of 480 Turkish university students. The results reveal that by playing a mediator role, self-esteem impacted positive/negative affect and life satisfaction and, hence, indirectly influenced cognitions about problematic Internet use. Examining the roles of self-esteem and subjective well-being will provide a new starting point for further studies.     

Affective and Daily Event Predictors of Life Satisfaction in College Students

The current study examined how well affect and daily events predict life satisfaction in 72 college students. Surveys assessing mood, affect balance, health, and sleep quality provided estimates of affect and daily events. The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) was used as a measure of general life satisfaction. The current results indicated that the SWLS was significantly correlated with feelings of depression, anger, vigor, and confusion, with physical health and frequency of physical illness, with positive and negative affect, and with sleep quality. The predictor variables used in the current study accounted for 54.1% of the total variance of the SWLS. However, only depression, vigor, confusion, frequency of illness and negative affect were significant predictors of life satisfaction in both a standard regression model and in a hierarchical forward regression model. More practically, an increase in subjective life satisfaction was predicted by decreases in depression, decreases in negative affect, decreases in the frequency of illness, and increases in vigor. These results indicate that judgements of life satisfaction, as measured by the SWLS, were significantly predicted by affect and daily events.